For many years, the most common disposal method of military propellants has been open burning/open detonation or incineration. Each of these methods are disposal techniques for explosive materials. These methods suffer from limitations, not the least of which is the fact that these methods create emissions problems and regulatory concerns. Moreover, the underlying propellant, which has potential use, is simply wasted in these processes.
A substantial quantity of the military propellant source is destined for demilitarization and destruction in the next few years. The incorporation of a military propellant into a packaged explosive product offers the most controlled, safe and environmentaly sound method of disposing military propellants. Moreover, the alternative use of stored military propellants as commercial blasting agents would be an extremely economical means of disposing military propellants and in the process, producing industrial explosives exhibiting a favorable cost for performance.
In general, there are three types of smokeless powder military gun propellants: single base, double base and triple base. Single base propellants are made essentially of a single explosive material such as nitrocellulose, generally in combination with stabilizers and other additives such as plasticizers, burning rate modifiers and flash depressants. Double base propellants generally contain, in addition to nitrocellulose, a secondary explosive such as nitroglycerine or another nitroester generally in combination with one or more additives as described above. Triple base propellants, on the other hand, generally contain, in addition to nitrocellulose, substantial quantities of two other high explosives, such as nitroglycerine, nitroguanidine and HMX, among others generally in combination with one or more additives as described above.
Commercial explosives or blasting agents are used throughout the United States in mining industries (coal mining, quarrying, non-metal and metal mining) and in construction. According to the U.S. Bureau of Mines (BOM). More than 4 billion pounds of commercial explosives are used yearly in the United States. Practically all commercial explosives are presently based on ammonium nitrate.